MILWAUKEE — Just in time for a warm Memorial Day weekend in Milwaukee, Airbnb is blocking some reservations to prevent rentals from being used for partying.
Adrian Johnson owns five Airbnbs across Milwaukee.
"This weekend everything’s booked. Everything I got is booked," Johnson smiled.
With the holiday weekend, Airbnb sent out a reminder that disruptive parties are banned.
However, the company said Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July weekend are when it sees a spike in that type of booking.
Johnson is no stranger to parties. On several occasions, he has witnessed large groups of kids in his rentals and even fighting.
"I looked at my camera and all these people were going in and out and I was like 'What’s going on'", Johnson asked. "They were stealing stuff and just running out with garbage bags."
The short-term rental company has technology that looks into bookings and identifies if they are potentially higher risk for partiers.
The system looks at a range of factors, which include the type of listing being booked, the duration of the stay, the distance to the listing from the guest’s hometown, and whether the booking is at the last minute to determine whether a booking should be blocked.
Even with cameras and special entry software, Johnson said he's glad for the extra precaution that Airbnb is taking during the holiday weekend.
"If they’re looking for things and see red flags, I’m okay with them blocking people. I'd rather have peace of mind than someone tear my place up," Johnson explained.
An Airbnb spokesperson told TMJ4 in an email that in 2023, they deterred around 500 people from booking across Wisconsin.
Across the country, the company said in a press release, that it blocked about 67,500 people over the Memorial Day and July 4 weekends last year.
Airbnb is also giving hosts free noise sensors, support from law enforcement, and more to get ahead of any issues before they start.
Guests who are prevented from booking an entire home will have the option to book a private room or hotel room on Airbnb instead, where their host is more likely to be on-site.
This story was originally published by Tony Sloan at Scripps News Nashville.
